The Bourbon - and other spirits - Thread (was: @ Myronwemissyinz)

Just a little quip.

Went out to dinner with my family tonight. Had a most excellent meal. (Not sure why I channeled Bill and Ted just then)

One of the drink specials was a Hurricane Margarita. I like Hurricanes. I LOVE margaritas. So the 2 combined should be good, right?

No.

It was flipping AWESOME! How have I lived this long without trying to combine them before?

 

So my wife calls me at work from the State Store. She was there to buy some wine for Thanksgiving dinner. She wanted to ask me if there was anything I wanted her to pick up for after dinner / the weekend. We're both off, and she felt like doing a little imbibing.

I said "Sure, pick me up a bottle of Buffalo Trace."

What's that?

"It's bourbon. In the whiskey aisle."

I don't see it.

"Top shelf or second from the top."

Nope. Not here.

"Damn. Alright. Do they have Knob Creek? Eagle Rare? Woodford Reserve? Blanton's?"

Uhhhh... no. I see something called Evan Williams, Jim Beam, Wild Turkey...

"Must have been a rush or something. They had all of that last month. Just get me a bottle of Jack Daniels, that's good enough."

Oh! Yeah. That's right here. Ok, I'll grab that.

I should mention that my wife is not much of a drinker. And she doesn't know her way around a liquor store. She was in the wrong aisle. This is what she bought me:



But you know what? Decided to try it. It's... not bad!!! It's pretty damned good actually. A little too sweet (and not quite as strong as I like), but not bad at all.

I'll do my own shopping next time.

 

I've never tried that, but my parents have gotten Wild Turkey w/honey on every holiday for as long as I can remember, and it's pretty good.

Coincidentally, my wife bought me a bottle of Evan Williams on the way home from work yesterday. (She almost never stops at the liquor store.)

I hadn't tried it in many years. It wasn't...how I remembered it.

 

Yeah. She was in the aisle with all of the flavored bourbons / liqueurs. Seems everyone has a honey one now. And cinnamon, cherry...

Not that I'm against them, mind you. Just not what I had wanted.

I don't have any fond memories of Evan Williams.

While we're on the subject of flavored whiskey/bourbon, I saw there's one out now from Firefly (the flavored vodka / moonshine guys) called "Sweet Tea Bourbon."

The bourbon base is from Buffalo Trace! (They have a partnership with the distillery). And only $12 a bottle! (special sale price. I'm going to have to move fast) Definitely going to have to give that a try.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention my project this wekend: Making up a nice batch of Apple Pie. Should be nice and smooth by Christmas. :shots:

 

LOL! Good point.

Oh well, lesson learned (for both of us). Speaking of...

Time to put a hurting on that bottle.

And on a personal note, I'm glad to see you're ok, Myron. I was a bit worried this might be you.

http://www.tnonline.com/2014/nov/28/police-boyfriend-stabbed-over-thanksgiving-meal

 

Well, the Tennessee Honey is gone.

I don't recommend drinking it in large quantities. Where's my Excedrin?

(I rarely get hungover. Staying hydrated and drinking better quality hooch usually keeps them away. Not really sure which rule I violated. )

 

I'm fine now, Dar, thanks for asking.

 

Sterilizing mason jars right now.

Then the apple pie making begins. My first attempt at it, so fingers crossed. The worst part is I have to wait 2-3 weeks before sampling to know if I screwed up or not.

 

First attempt finished and resting comfortably in my basement cabinet (don't mind the dinginess). Didn't end up making quite as much as I expected. I lost a good quart or more to evaporation while simmering (non-alcohol portion). Tasted amazing prior to adding alcohol. Tastes wild and untamed after, but 2-3 weeks mellowing, and it'll be smoooooth. Best guess is mine will come out somewhere between 50 and 60 proof. Not strong enough to light your throat on fire, but plenty strong to let you know it's there. And now the waiting begins.

 

Dark cabinets help too. They won't survive Christmas / New Year's anyway, so it doesn't really matter.

 

Finally had a chance to try some Kraken last night. It was good, but the vanilla was pretty heavy. At least, that's how it came across to me.

 

No anise?

My first bottle was great. Every one after that was loaded with anise. (or something that was triggering that scent/taste for me. It's possible it is my perception and not an actual flavor)

I loved my first bottle though.

I like anise, but NOT in my rum.

 

Not that I could detect. Mine was heavy vanilla and notes of caramel. At least, that's how I perceived it.

 

That's how my first bottle was.

Not that I thought it was anything worth drinking straight for very long. But it was good. (And great with a splash of coke) I've wondered if I just got a funky batch. But I'm not spending money to find out. Plenty of other good rums out there.

 

Opened the first pint jar of Apple Pie tonight.

Not bad at all if I say so myself - at least for a first attempt. There's a few things (recipe tweaks and techniques) I'll do differently next time which will improve it I think. But it tastes really good, if a tad cloying.

I was also off on my proof estimate, or my tolerance is higher than I thought. I'm guessing it's around 40 proof. Still strong enough for most I suppose. But this batch is too rich to drink long term.

edit:

Rekindling a romance with an old salty dog. Sailor Jerry. Not the best rum in the world by any stretch. But I've been too dismissive of it in the past. It will win no awards and is way too harsh for straight drinking (I suppose you could shoot it, but that defeats the purpose of rum). But with about 50/50 coke and a splash of lime? Oh yeah... my vacation is starting out just fine.

I have a huge bottle of Mount Gay I haven't cracked the seal on yet. Then we'll get down to some real rum drinking. 'Tis the season for some Bumbo, I do believe. Now if my daughters and relatives actually listen or know me at all, I'll be flush for a while after Christmas. hoping at least one of them goes with Guinness. I'm currently out. :o Or I'll have to beg the wife. Need something to go along with my oyster stew.